#19 - Visit Harry Potter World

I am one of those people who is instantly skeptical about anything popular.  I avoid pumpkin-spice lattes and Grey's Anatomy and those drink-and-paint places.  There's just something about me that resists those bits of life that people of my age and gender are "supposed" to like.  I'd like to think that I'm just less influenced by marketing and societal roles, but really, it's likely due to my own ego, which insists on being unique... which is great, to the point that it becomes inauthentic.

I resisted Harry Potter until 2003.  Even though I've always been an avid reader, it was too trendy.  I wasn't going to cave to the everybody's-doing-it attitude.  In my early 20's, I read literature, not children's books.  

Then my mom started reading them and passed them on to me when she was finished.  Just pages into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I was hooked.  I quickly read through all of the available books, and by 2005, I was one of those people who pre-ordered the book and had it delivered upon the release via Amazon.

Let 'er rip, Ern

(The story of my reading of the sixth book has a tragic twist.  I picked it up at midnight and then hid it from myself because I was studying for my personal training certification.  I made myself wait until the exam was over.  Unfortunately, I was also working at a summer day camp.  In between swim lessons, two 2nd graders walked passed me and one said to the other, "So-and-so kills so-and-so," though she used their names.  "Nooooooooooooo!" I cried.  "You can't just SAY things like that!"  I then told a friend who had finished the book that a 2nd grader had spoiled it for me, and she said, "That's okay.  If you don't know how, you're okay."  And I said, "She said so-and-so does it."  And she said, "Oh, yeah, it's ruined."  I never even used that personal training certification.  I still can't forgive that second grader.  Just kidding.  Kind of.)

I've read the books through twice.  I can't tell you how many times I've seen the movies.

Taking the Hogwarts Express with one of my
oldest friends

This year, my national conference was in Orlando.  (Or Kissimmee, or whatever.)  Every year, at said conference, I room with one of my very best friends, Nicole Green.  Months ago, as we were making plans for our stay in Orlando (or whatever), we brought up the idea of staying an extra day to hang out... maybe visit a theme park... maybe...  Coincidentally (or actually probably not at all coincidentally because it's one of the reasons I love her), Nicole is also very into Harry Potter.  I'm a broke student, so I told her that I'd work a few extra catering shifts to go to Harry Potter World with her but I probably wouldn't do the same for Disney, which I'd been to enough that it's not worth the money while I have none.  She agreed.  Yay!

Wednesday night, Nicole received a big award.  Thursday morning I was the one slow moving in the morning but we made it to Hogsmeade in plenty of time, rode the new Hogwarts ride, walked through town, took the train to Diagon Alley, walked around, and then were slammed in the face when we learned the Gringotts ride was temporarily closed.  We walked around Diagon Alley some more.  Had lunch at the Three Broomsticks (!!!) had some butterbeer (!!!!!), hung around, then finally walked around the rest of that side of Universal.

I'm so happy I was able to immerse in Harry Potter with my Muggle bff!